Umpire putting Batter/Runner in jeopardy?

[AtlUmpSteve]

Originally posted by MNBlue
Dakota,

I disagree. In the OP, the PU called the pitch a ball. The batter goes with the PU's call. By going to the BU, the PU put the BR in jeopardy. I think PU has to eat the call and take the heat.

Can't agree with you. Our primary function is to make the correct calls and enforce the rules so that the teams have an even playing field. In no other circumstance that I can think of is it legitimate to get help from a better perspective, but we should refuse to do that sometimes in fear that our call would be changed.

In other words, if you would check on potential strike one or strike two, you have no basis to not check on potential strike three. That is an old baseball mentality, and is unsupported in the softball world. Get the call right; if the batter swung, it should be called a swing.

Base umpire, it better be a full swing that your partner missed, black and white, not gray, but make the call. In that case, the batter and offensive coach has no arguement that you had to make the call, and the batter has to know it was a swing and should have run, no matter what PU called.

[Edited by AtlUmpSteve on Mar 16th, 2006 at 12:14 PM]